Prairie Oak Homestead

What a year this has been! There have been hard times, good times, stagnant times, and amazingly blessed times! I have gained a dad this year...probably the biggest blessing of the year. :) I had a long stent of feeling good for about 4 mos. :) My son turned 12 O_0, I started raising chickens, I butchered chickens, I butchered deer...lots of interesting things this past year... I look forward to what God has in store for me and my family this year. His love is so amazing that I am in awe so much of the time...I hope to grow closer to Him this coming year and closer to my family. I want to be a better wife/mother/daughter for Him. He deserves ALL of us. I want to surrender my life to Him even more this year. I usually don't have a lot of New Year's resolutions....they usually don't get fulfilled and then you just feel crummy...so I just set out to do my best for Him this next year and that will be that. :) Hope you all enjoy your evening and all be careful. I hope to...

Sorry I haven't been around for a few days...I've been sick. :( I've had a bad headache for 5 days now from sinuses. I went to the doctor because it started aggravating my Myasthenia Gravis. That is under control with a bit of steroids. :) It's just a severe sinus infection that has just thrown me for a loop. I have been in so much pain from the headache/migraine that it's been hard to sleep. I am hoping that today is the day it goes away! It is so hard to be a mom/wife and be sick...so much doesn't get done and it becomes overwhelming. My husband cooked dinner last night (steak) and dries the dishes for me...but there is just so much more to be done. I managed to dust and do the dishes this morning. I just have to do some laundry now. I was planning on going to the grocery store today, but I don't think that's gonna happen. I'll save that for tomorrow. I am thankful that I haven't been in this much pain for 4 months. This horrible p...

Here is one of my favorite scenes from LHOTP. It sums it up pretty well. ;)

No, not with the Jones'. :) With your housework.....Ugh. If you don't keep up with the work, it adds up and the task can become monumental. Here are a few tips to stay on track...so as not to feel like this... Get a schedule for cleaning...www.flylady.net is a good place to get tips for this. Pick a couple days a week to vacuum. Make a menu for a week or two and then take ONE day a week to go to the grocery store. That way you have more time at home to get things done. Recruit helpers...even small children can help in the chores. Give them a chore chart with little rewards like stickers or dollar store "bucks" that they can redeem. (Need to take my own advice here. It's easier for me to just do it all, but it wears me out so) Keep up with the dishes. I found saving them til after dinner and doing them once a day helps me not to be so weak. After I had help doing kitchen chores one night...I found that the following day when I woke up there were none to ...

I really like this time of year. Even more this year. I realize it can be overwhelming, sad, and lonely at times for some people. But, it can also be joyful, fun, and peaceful. It's a great thing to celebrate the birth of our Lord. He took on flesh and we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. :) It's also a fun time of year to be with family, eat cookies, sing, dance around goofy, play in the snow, drive around and look at the lights, and enjoy the peaceful evenings in the quiet of the house. Take time to relax and think on just what this season means. How much our Lord loves us...

Last night we celebrated Christmas early at our house with some special guests. They are wonderful people with big hearts and a love for God. I cooked ham, mash potatoes (with bacon, cheese, and sour cream), bacon green beans, and coconut cake. It was all really good minus the coconut cake. It was a little dry to me. But, hey, I ate it anyway. LOL. Here is Mama D wearing the apron I made her... This next picture I had to take to document this thing that had happened.... Dad and Ryan did the dishes! It was really nice to have them do that. I didn't know what to do with myself. LOL. I woke up this morning with NO kitchen chores to do...it was wonderful. :) It was just a wonderful time and I enjoyed spending time with them. You know, God loves me so much that He has blessed me in this way. Wow...and you know what? He loves YOU, too! He cares about us and the little things AND the big things like needing a dad. He is an amazing God whom I am glad to serve. I pray the experien...

Modesty I thought I'd say how glad I am that I decided to wear skirts again. It's been a few months and I am so much more comfortable than I was when I went back to jeans. I don't feel like a stumbling block anymore, I feel more feminine, softer, and believe it or not...warmer. I was much colder in my jeans than I am in my skirts. I can wear a flannel slip or petticoat, tights, etc. More layers. :) I haven't regretted going back to skirts. The key this time for me and my husband was not to be too plain. He really didn't care of the plainness. So I got some cuter skirts and tops and he seems to be happy with that. I don't feel so frumpy either. :) Do you know I get more respect from men from the grocery store? They hold the door, let me go ahead in line, just seem more gentlemanly (if that's a word lol) Not as many did that when I wore pants. Interesting.... If you could continue to pray for me, I'd appreciate it. :) My heart decided to get ...

are harder than others... Strength wise I have been a bit weak. It's to be expected. I just got used to feeling pretty good for a while there. Mind you I have had A LOT more good days since starting the experimental supplement. I am very glad for that. But, no matter what you do or take, it doesn't make this illness go away. There is no cure. Just good days and bad days. I have had a few bad days this week. But, I know that there are good days ahead. I just pray for some renewed strength... It can be frustrating to feel weak when you have a lot you need to do. It can get ya down...but I know that.... My heart has acted up these last couple days, also. I'd like that to stop. :) It's been doing very well with the exception of these last few days. Could you pray about that? I'm trying very much not to overdo it and trying very hard to not let it get me down. I can only do what the good Lord allows...

Hunter had another art class. This time he made a thumbprint Christmas tree. It was really neat for him to do. Here's the finished product...I think he did a good job. :) He enjoyed doing it. :)

When I was really little I had a dad that would put me in a closet when I cried, did drugs in front of me, ran from police, wasn't available to talk to, said things he shouldn't say to children, and would reject me when we had to call collect after my mom finally divorced him. I have spoken to him twice in 12 yrs. He doesn't want anything to do with me... My mom remarried and my step-dad was a good guy. He and I were not really close, but at least he didn't do the things my real dad did. He took care of us and loved us. He was killed 3 yrs ago... Now that all doesn't sound much like a blessing does it...Not really. BUT, the good Lord saw fit to restore to me some of the years that was lost without a dad. How amazing is His love for us! God has connected us with a man that has treated Ryan and I as his own children. The love he shows for us as a dad is truly amazing and selfless. For the past several months, we have grown closer to him and to Him. I have bee...

I have a sort of writer's block today. I've been tired and have had a headache for a few days...so my mind is kinda blank. ;) Haven't been up to much lately except for working on some Christmas projects. I enjoy doing those. I've also been doing the regular daily chores like cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc. But, this time of year it's fun to do them to Christmas music. :) Here's one we listened to last night while I was cookin' dinner. I was standing at the stove swaying to the music while Hunter danced around (he'll never admit it LOL) Never been to Hawaii...I bet it would be fun. :) Not too sure about the plane ride there though. ;) This month is full of blessings...God surely loves us. He is so good...how could we ever thank Him enough? By giving our lives to Him and loving others. Love...it's one of the best actions the good Lord has put in us to do. It can also be one of the hardest... What are some of your favorite Christmas cookies...

This past weekend up through yesterday was sausage makin' time. It was a tiring effort for me, but well worth it in the end. :) We ended up with breakfast sausage, italian style brats, and regular brats. That will feed our family for a while and it's all natural. :) Very yummy in my tummy. :) We had saved up some coin and saved enough to get a stuffer. We were using our grinder, but it just wasn't making it very easy on me. It grinds beautifully, but doesn't stuff so easily. So my husband bought a stuffer just for stuffing. It made the job a lot easier. I was glad for that. We were going to use the change we saved for a smoker, but that will have to wait til next year. Can you believe it's December already? Wow...this year has flown by. I must have been having a lot of fun. ;) Christmas is right around the corner. I love this time of year. Time to celebrate the birth of our Lord, time to spend making memories with family, eating lots of good food, coz...

Sometimes I think that we lose sight of the respectability and the nobility of our position as a wife. We forget that it's a very important job. Adam needed a helper. It was not good for him to be alone. Our husbands also need a helper. I realize it's not popular to be a submissive wife. The world will lead us to believe that it is better to be self-serving. It is not... Serving our husband seems to have gone out of style. But, we as wives, are supposed to do just that. I think many of us have lost sight of the joy of our calling. We get bogged down with our daily duties as wives. Taking care of the children, homeschooling (if you do), dishes, laundry, cooking, taking care of our husbands needs, being cheerful, being a good steward of the money, farm work, keeping the fire going (in the woodstove ;) ), etc. These things, although mundane, must be done. If we have a servant's heart, we will see all these "mundane" things as an opportunity to bless and fulfill the n...

I really like Johnny cash... I really like this song... I really hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. :)

I wasn't sure what the next few days will bring, so I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving early. :) We have much to be thankful for! I am thankful for the food that the Lord provides. I am thankful for seeing the Father in a whole new light this year. So much more dear and real to me now. (Thanks Dad) I am thankful for feeling better since August. I do still have my days, but it's manageable. I have hope. I am thankful for my husband, whom I hope to serve better. He is a good man and loves the Lord. I am thankful for my son. He is becoming quite the young man. He is learning more about life and God and I'm happy to be part of the teaching process. :) I am thankful for our home in the country. I am thankful for the chickens I am able to raise. I am thankful for some of my dreams coming true. I am thankful for our woodstove. :) I love it's smell and warmth it permeates to my bones. :) I am thankful for the love of our Savior. He is such a gracious God. I am thankful ...

We both went out this weekend... On Friday I had a nice doe come by me, but she wouldn't turn the way I needed her to. It was really exciting though. On Saturday I was sitting in the stand and saw a buck come up in front of me a little far off. I texted my husband and told him he was headed his way. He got him... I am happy for him and he's happy that he was blessed to be able to provide a deer for us. I will be making sausage and jerky next week and grinding the rest. We keep the tenderloins and backstrap of course. :) Here's a pic of me in my stand. I really enjoyed listening to God's creation while in that stand. I heard a couple owls hooting. Friday night the wind was dead calm. It was so peaceful. It gave a lot of time for reflection. One thing I was thinking on is realizing just how much a hug means to me. Having someone you love give you a warm hug does wonders for the heart. It can deliver the message "I love you." Also, in that, not gett...

Well it finally stopped raining here. Sheesh. :) Just in time for hunting season to begin. I'm going out this afternoon with my husband. Praying that God will provide a deer for me this year. I want to be able to help provide our meat this year. I enjoy going out with my husband to hunt. It's good productive (hopefully) time together. :) I also like to go shooting with him. We all have our own firearms and enjoy target shooting. We started target shooting for fun when we lived in New Mexico. While we were missionaries there we took advantage of the vast amount of desert there to shoot in. I was a pretty good shot and I got hooked. :) Hope everyone has a great weekend! Hopefully ours will be spent butchering. :)

It's been raining here for 3 days straight. My mood does not like it one bit. ;) This girl needs sunshine! Am I the only one who doesn't like dreary days? If it wasn't so cold I might be willing to do this... But, I can sing in my heart, right? LOL I'm going to bake oatmeal raisin cookies (gluten free of course) :) It seems like a good day to bake. :) On days like this I try to think of the "whatsoever things" in Philipians 4:8. I can very easily get discouraged and bummed out. My husband is just about out of work for the year and is getting laid off for the winter. It's a great opportunity to spend time together. :) Hoping the weather wherever you are is pleasant. :)

I made laundry soap today and I know I posted this recipe before, but it's been a while and this time I took some pictures. Here's the recipe... 1/2 bar felsnaptha 1/2 c borax 1/2 c WASHING soda (not baking soda) water 2 gal bucket First grate the soap with your food processor or by hand. (I used to do this by hand and then I got smart and use my food processor.) Put this in a pot with 6 c of water and warm up enough to melt the soap. Add the borax and washing soda and stir until dissolved. Warm up a mason jar of water (4 cups) in the microwave. Pour this soap mixture in a 2 gal bucket and add the 4 c hot water. Stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 c water into the bucket. Stir. You can add your favorite scent now. It will begin to gel up not too long after. Use 1/2 c per load. It works well enough to get my husbands roofer clothes clean. :)

I realize that this is 2009 and what we as wives have for role models on tv are less then stellar. We don't have to be like "Desperate Housewives", "King of Queens", or "The Real Housewives of Orange County". It is OK for us to identify with June Cleaver or Caroline Ingalls. It's right NOT to belittle your husband or mock him in front of your friends. It's OK for it not to be about us and for it to be about our husbands. We are not to be selfserving, but are to put others ahead of us. It's OK to have the house cleaned up for when your husband comes home from a hard day at work. He enjoys having a place to unwind and rest for the evening. It's OK to have supper ready when he comes home. It's our way of showing him how much we care and are concerned about HIS needs. It's OK to freshen yourself up before he comes through the door. It's OK to be happy to see him when he comes home. Be attentive to him as he talks about h...

Above is a picture of our wood stove tonight. On cool nights like this I love to feel it's warmth. It's nice to sit in the quiet and think of all the wonderful things God has done in our life. To sit and pray for loved ones...to sit and pray for myself. To look back on the day and see if I was a gracious wife. It seems I have such a long way to go...I'm cheerful when my husband walks through the door. I have a smile on my face and dinner on the table. But somewhere on some days, I lose focus and hear something wrong or take offense to something said. Why do I do that? That is one of my main struggles. I must think he has ill intentions when he speaks and really he doesn't. For some reason I always think he is belittling me, he isn't. Satan sure can influence us to think things we ought not. I am thankful to the Lord that He has made me aware of such things and with that I can be better prepared in my heart. I pray everyone has a nice quiet evening to en...

I hope you were encouraged by the last few posts...I know I am continuing to strive to be a gracious wife. It takes time for some of the things we learn to be applied and stick. :) The important thing is we continue to grow. :) Here are some more words from Heather... Let’s look once again at what it means to be Gracious…. Here’s the definition, taken from thefreedictionary.com: gra·cious adj. Characterized by kindness and warm courtesy. Characterized by tact and propriety. Of a merciful or compassionate nature. If we are striving to have a heart like Christ’s, then we must emulate Him… and there are 8 verses in the Old Testament of the Bible that say virtually the same thing: “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Click here for all 8 Scripture references) If we are to be Gracious Wives …. then we must have all of these characteristics: Kindness - Even when undeserved; Offering forgiveness; Showing God’s love ( Ephesians 4:32 ) Warm...

More from Heather's post from The Striving Wife... Do you often feel like having your husband's head on a platter? The Gracious Wife Versus the Angry Wife. So… on to writing about the Angry Wife… Now, I don’t normally see myself as an angry person. I’m actually a pretty upbeat person, but anger (in its various forms) too often gets a hold of me. First, let’s look at a definition of anger, because you may be surprised to see that you, too, may fall under this category. Read it a few times, just in case you miss part of it the first time: anger , n. - a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance; a feeling aroused by being offended; belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong; a violent, bitter feeling (against someone or something); resentment; irritation; annoyance; huffiness; indignation. (from thefreedictionary.com Anger expresses itself differently in different people as well. Some will explode in rage, yelling, screaming, or ...

More from Heather about being a gracious wife... This is very convicting for me. I am on the path of being a gracious wife, but boy are there lots of rocks on this path, some sharp... The Gracious Wife Versus the Nagging Wife. When I think of a nag, I think of someone who is old, wrinkly, and extremely ugly. Why? Because that’s what a hag looks like (in my mind), and since the words rhyme and both describe a person (usually a female), I automatically link them together. Maybe I’m the only person in the world who does this, but… in my mind, a nag and a hag are one and the same. Perhaps that is why I realize and recognize the ugliness in nagging… So, before we all disqualify ourselves as nags (as I would previously have done), let me define what a nag really is, according to thefreedictionary.com… Let’s start with Nag, the noun : someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault a person who is not pleasant or agreeable And now Nag, the verb : To annoy b...

Another post from Heather at The Striving Wife... The Gracious Wife Versus the Sarcastic Wife Okay, okay, I know that there are times when it is funny, and even somewhat appropriate (like when my husband hikes his pants all the way up to his chest and runs around the house like that, and I say, “Oooh, that’s sexy!” …definite sarcasm there). Most times, however, sarcasm does not have happy results, even if the receiver does not “seem” hurt, offended, or angry. Picture this: Your husband comes home from work a little late, and you make a sarcastic comment on his timing as he walks through the door. He flops on the couch, exhausted from work, as you finish making dinner. You observe him relaxing while you’re working hard to get dinner done and the table set. Insert sarcastic comment about how helpful he’s being. After dinner, he helps clear the table. Insert another sarcastic comment about how helpful he’s being, assuming he’s only helping because of your first comment. How do you t...

This post comes from a blog called The Striving Wife written by Heather. I have been working on being more gracious to my husband and came across this blog. I wanted to share some of it with you. She writes what I wanted to. :) Grace , n. a sense of propriety and consideration for others; a disposition to kindness and compassion; a disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill; mercy; clemency; a favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence; kind or polite Why is grace so important? Other than the fact that it is by God’s grace that we are saved (and not of any work that we do), God also calls us to pass that grace onto others. ( 1 Peter 4:10 ) I fully believe that being a Godly and Biblical wife means that we are called to be a Gracious Wife. In this series, I will be looking at several specific contrasts to the Gracious Wife, but first we must define what a Gracious Wife looks like! The definition of Grace somewhat gives it away, but let’s look closer at it. * a s...

All the pretty leaves that I loved are dwindling down to bare trees. It's getting colder and the wood stove goes just about everyday now. Pretty soon we'll be hunkered down for the winter. I can't believe how fast this year has gone... I don't have to tell you how short life is. I'm sure you already know...Can I encourage you to take each moment and treasure them. Even the spats. Harsh words may be spoken, but at least they are spoken by the one (s) you love. Life is so precious. Soak in every ounce of your loved ones. Listen to them. Touch them. Hug them. Kiss them. Help them. Look at them. Enjoy them. May we not forget that life is not about hustle and bustle, but being with the ones you love and sharing life with them. Learning from each other, supporting each other, and loving each other. Love is one of the BEST gifts we have been given. It's meant to share. :) Hold your loved ones tight and if you can't physically, hold them close in y...

Today is my *cough* my 34 birthday. :) Most days I don't feel 34. LOL I have gotten some nice gifts. I posted my dad's gift in the last post, but I also got shopping money from my mom. I was able to get two nice denim skirts that are very cute! My husband is going to take me out to eat and then do some shopping for some shoes and such. Looking forward to that. :) I am thankful for a lot of things this year... Thankful for my sight, which I lost briefly in 07. Thankful for my husband of 13 yrs Thankful for my son of 12 yrs Thankful for my family Thankful for people listening to God in their life and being obedient to His will Thankful to live in the country Thankful for the beautiful leaves this year Thankful for the simple things in life Today also marks another birthday. This day 10 yrs ago my husband and I were born again. We were baptized together on this day. Funny story... The particular church we attended then wore white robes to be baptized in. Well hubby wore h...

isn't until the 31st, but my dad gave me my gift early. I just had to share it with you...He is very talented and made this himself out of part of a cedar tree he cut. I am so thankful for him and will treasure this gift always. :) This is an important scripture to me. There are so many applications to it for different seasons of my life. :)

for winter that is... It seems to take a while. LOL. Today we (Hunter and I) are going to work on stacking wood on the back porch. We have a very large rack back there and it will take a while to stack. It's hard getting ready for winter when your husband works from sun up to sun down. Sometimes I need more muscle power. LOL. Hunter does a pretty good job. I also have some more cleaning to do and need to change out the seasonal clothes. I also have some sewing to do today. I'd like to make some more denim skirts. I did buy two online with some money that I got for my birthday coming up Saturday. I've had a headache for two days that I'd like to get rid of. :) It just makes doing your work so much harder. But, I will focus on things above and not on myself, which is so easy to do when you are hurting. It's funny...people usually seek the Lord when they are hurting and not when things are good. I am the opposite. I seek Him and focus more on Him when thi...